Packaging System and Method

ABSTRACT

Embodiments provide packaging systems and methods that may be easy to open, have a measure of theft deterrence, may be manufactured from a minimum number of materials, and/or are relatively easy to recycle. One packaging/display system includes multiple package elements in an upright orientation between side walls of a support tray, without edges of the package elements extending into the side walls for support. In some cases a support tray includes multiple support tabs located along at least one side wall to engage a front and/or back surface of a package element in a supporting configuration. Support tabs may optionally be spaced along side wall inner surfaces in an alternating configuration. An optional removable cover may be configured to fit about package elements within a support tray to provide an integrated packaging assembly for transport. Methods for packing and displaying products are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCES

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/605,490, filed Mar. 1, 2012, the content of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Different forms of self-service merchandise packaging are commonly usedto both package products and display the products/packaging in adesirable configuration for viewing by customers. Some types of thesedisplay packaging systems are useful for providing access tosuccessively displayed product items. They may also be useful forpackaging and securing products. For example, some products for sale maybe too large to hang on a peg board display, or may be too small (e.g.,a gift card) to be left out on a counter unpackaged.

One example of this type of self-service packaging includes the readilyknown example of plastic “blister pack” displays. In such cases theproducts may be encased in a transparent plastic blister pack (e.g., aheat-sealed plastic, transparent clamshell). In the case of smallproducts, such a blister pack can provide the product with a largerintegral packaging to reduce the risk of theft. In the case of largerproducts, the blister pack can provide an integral display methodologyas an alternative to hanging a product on a pegboard.

Blister packs are commonly stocked in cardboard or plastic trays andarranged in a series or row from the front of the tray to the back. As acustomer picks out one product in the series, the next product packageis immediately exposed and visible to a new customer without the needfor restocking or product rearranging by store clerks. One problemrecognized with trays and blister packs is the tendency for theproduct/packaging to tip over after one or more have been removed bycustomers. A common technique to address this problem is to includeslots on each side of the tray into which the blister pack edges areinserted to keep the package upright. While blister packs have provenuseful and popular to some extent as packaging, they are alsonotoriously hard and frustrating to open and are generally not recycledby customers.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the invention provide a packaging system that isgenerally easy to open, provides a measure of theft deterrence, may bemanufactured from a minimum number of materials, and/or is relativelyeasy to recycle. In some embodiments, the packaging system is configuredto maintain several individual products within individual packages,displayed upright in a tray without the aid of packaging edges engagingslots in the opposing sides of the tray.

An example of one embodiment of the invention provides a system forpackaging and displaying multiple products. The system includes multiplepackage elements and a support tray configured to support the packageelements arranged adjacently in a row upon the support tray. Each of thepackage elements is generally configured to hold at least one product.The support tray has a first side wall, a second side wall, and asupport surface extending between and joined to the first and the secondside walls. Each side wall has an inner wall surface facing the packageelements supported by the tray and an outer wall surface facing awayfrom the package elements. The support tray is configured to support themultiple package elements in the row upon the support tray without thepackage elements extending through the first inner wall surface into thefirst side wall and without the package elements extending through thesecond inner wall surface into the second side wall.

Another example of an embodiment is a packaging system for transportingand displaying products. The packaging system includes a plurality ofpackage elements, a support tray for supporting the package elements,and a removable cover configured to fit about the package elements andthe support tray. Encasing the package elements and the tray with thecover provides an integrated packaging assembly with additional strengthand security for transporting the package elements with the supporttray.

In this example, each package element is configured to substantiallyenclose at least one product. The package element also includes aheight, a width, and a thickness that is less than half the height andless than half the width of the package element. The package elementalso includes at least a partial front surface and a partial backsurface.

The support tray in this example embodiment includes a support surfaceextending between and joining first and second side walls. The firstside wall has a first inner wall surface and the second side wall has asecond inner wall surface. The support tray also includes multiplesupport tabs located along the first inner wall surface, the secondinner wall surface, or both inner wall surfaces. The support tabs areconfigured to engage the front surface and/or the back surface of one ormore of the package elements. The support tabs can thus assist insupporting the package elements in a row configuration with the packageelements arranged adjacently front-to-back along the support tray.Typically the height of each package element extends upward from thesupport tray in this type of example, such that the package elementsrest on their bottom surfaces. The length of the bottom surfaces is thesmaller thickness of the package element, meaning that the much longerheight of the package elements can tend to tip the package elements overwithout the aid of the support tabs.

Another example of the type of embodiments provided by the invention isan exemplary method for packing and displaying products. The methodincludes providing a plurality of package elements, with each packageelement holding at least one product. The method further includesproviding a support tray such as one of those described above with afirst side wall, a second side wall, a support surface, a first innerwall surface, and a second inner wall surface. The plurality of packageelements are arranged adjacently in a row upon the support surface ofthe support tray between the first side wall and the second side wall.The method further includes retaining the plurality of package elementsin the row in the support tray and between the first side wall and thesecond side wall without extending the package elements through thefirst inner wall surface into the first side wall and without extendingthe package elements through the second inner wall surface into thesecond side wall.

Some embodiments may optionally provide none, some, or all of thefollowing advantages, though other advantages not listed here may alsobe provided.

In some embodiments providing support tabs, the support tabs can belocated along at least one of the first inner wall surface and thesecond inner wall surface. Optionally, the support tabs located alongone of the inner wall surfaces are positioned in front of only half orless of the maximum number of package elements supported by thepackaging system. Thus, a support tab need not be provided along eachside wall of the support tray for every package element being displayed.In some cases each group of support tabs located along each of the firstinner wall surface and the second inner wall surface are positioned infront of half or less of the plurality of package elements. One possibleconfiguration provided in some embodiments includes a number of supporttabs spaced along the first inner wall surface and the second inner wallsurface in an alternating configuration, e.g., alternating betweensuccessive package elements.

A possible feature of some embodiments includes one or more support tabthat are formed from a partial cut-out portion of one of the first andthe second side walls. The partial cut-out portion can be folded outfrom the side wall along a fold line to provide the tab, leaving behinda hole in the side wall that may be present but not needed or used. Forexample, a package element may be supported by a support tab but may notextend into the hole left behind from the support tab after it is foldedaway from the side wall.

Some embodiments may be optionally configured to provide the packageelements with a reclining angle while supported in the support tray, toprovide a more convenient viewing angle for prospective buyers. As oneexample, in some cases a package element is formed with a front surface,a back surface, and a bottom surface, and the bottom surface isconfigured to engage the support tray with the package element recliningsuch that a centerline extending through the package element forms areclining angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the supporttray support surface. In some cases the angle may be at least about fivedegrees, or between about five and about ten degrees. In some cases theangle is about seven degrees.

These and various other features and advantages will be apparent from areading of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings illustrate some particular embodiments of thepresent invention and therefore do not limit the scope of the invention.The drawings are not to scale (unless so stated) and are intended foruse in conjunction with the explanations in the following detaileddescription. Some embodiments will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging system according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a packaging system according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a packaging system illustratinga support tab according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial view of a packaging element according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5A is a schematic, side view of a packaging system according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5B is a schematic, side view of a portion of a support trayaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic, partial top view of a packaging system accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded assembly view of a packaging system including asupport tray, a plurality of package elements, and a cover according toan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is exemplary in nature and is notintended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of theinvention in any way. Rather, the following description provides somepractical illustrations for implementing some embodiments of the presentinvention. Examples of constructions, materials, dimensions, andmanufacturing processes are provided for selected elements, and allother elements employ that which is known to those of ordinary skill inthe field of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize thatmany of the noted examples have a variety of suitable alternatives.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to self-service productdisplay packaging and methods for packing products and/or displayingproducts using such packaging. Basic goals of such display packagingwill be familiar to those skilled in the art, and include among otherthings, positioning successive product items in a row for viewing bycustomers so that as one product item is removed, the next product itemis revealed and readily displayed for viewing by the next customer.

Embodiments of the invention, while in some cases addressing the basicgoals of self-service display packaging, also provide one or moreadditional features, advantages, benefits, and/or differences fromexisting product display packaging such as, e.g., plastic blister packdisplay pack systems. As just a few examples, in some embodiments apackaging system may include package elements that are generally easy toopen and/or that provide a measure of theft deterrence. In some casesall or most components of a packaging system may be manufactured from aminimum number of materials and/or is relatively easy to recycle. Insome embodiments, the packaging system is configured to maintain severalindividual products within individual packages, displayed upright in atray without the aid of packaging edges engaging slots in the opposingsides of the tray. Of course these are just a few examples and thoseskilled in the art will appreciate a number of other features,advantages and/or differences from a reading of this disclosure.

FIGS. 1-3 provide various views of a packaging system 100 according toone possible embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the packagingsystem 100, FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the packaging system 100,and FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the packaging system 100. Ascan be seen in the FIGS. 1-3, the packaging system 100 generallyincludes a support tray 102 and multiple package elements 104 positionedin and supported by the support tray 102. As shown best in FIGS. 1 and2, the support tray 102 is configured to support the package elements104 in a row, with the package elements arranged adjacentlyfront-to-back within the support tray 102. Thus, as a customer pulls thefront-most package element out of the support tray 102, the nextsuccessive package element is revealed for viewing.

Continuing with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the support tray 102 isconfigured to hold the package elements 104 in an upright orientation asillustrated. The support tray 102 depicted in the figures generallyincludes a first side wall 110, a second side wall 112, a back wall 114,and a front wall 116. A bottom support surface 118 extends between andjoins the walls of the tray, including the first side wall and thesecond side wall. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in some cases the frontwall may include a cut away portion that allows for more completeviewing of the package elements 104, though this is not a requiredfeature. The height of the tray walls 110, 112 may be determined in somecases based on, e.g., the height, width, thickness, overall shape,and/or center of gravity of the package elements 104.

As best seen in FIG. 2, in some embodiments such as the depictedexample, the support tray 102 and the package elements 104 may beconfigured to allow the package elements 104 to recline from thevertical, which can be useful for providing a comfortable viewing anglefor a person looking at the display system. As will be discussed, insome cases a bottom surface (not shown) of a package element is angledwith respect to other surfaces of the package element. The packageelement bottom surface then engages the support surface 118 of the traywith the package element reclining away from the vertical. In some casesthe back wall 114 of the support tray 102 can support the last packagingelement in the row, thus helping to keep all of the packaging elementsupright while also reclining.

Generally, a package element 104 may be configured to hold at least oneproduct. As shown in FIG. 1, in this case each package element 104 isconfigured to hold two products in the form of coaxial cable windings120. FIG. 4 is a partial view of one of the packaging elements 104 shownin FIGS. 1-3. In this embodiment a package element 104 is configured asa shallow box 122 with a fold-over top 124 having top sides that fitwithin the box sides to enclose about the products 120 within thepackage element 104. Optional mounting structure may be included withinthe box 122 in order to hold one or more products within the packageelement 104. By securing the top 124 to the box 122 with a fastener(e.g., adhesive, tape, wire, etc.) the package element 104 can berelatively secured, thus providing a measure of theft deterrence giventhe increased size that the package element provides about the products120.

With the package element 104 in an upright orientation as shown in thefigures, the extent of the package element 104 defines an overall heightH, a width W, and a thickness T for the package element. In some cases,the thickness of the package element 104 may be less than half theheight and also less than half the width of the package element, whichgives the package element 104 the elongated box shape shown in thefigures. As mentioned above, in some cases the height of the tray walls110, 112 can be designed based on the shape and center of gravity of thepackage element, thus taking into account the height, width, andthickness of the package element 104.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, each package element (as described in theupright orientation) generally includes a number of outside surfaces,including a front surface 130, a back surface 132, a top surface 134,and a bottom surface (not shown). In addition, the package elementgenerally defines two side surfaces 136, 138. In this embodiment withthe package element 104 taking the form of a box and fold over cover,the surfaces are provided by the corresponding sides of the box andcover. Of course this is just one example of a package elementconfiguration and a package element may have one of a variety ofconfigurations while still having one or more surfaces, including one ormore of a front, back, top, and/or bottom surface.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each side wall of the support tray includesan inner wall surface 140, 142. With respect to the figures, these arereferred to herein as a first inner wall surface 140 on the first sidewall 110 that faces the package elements 104 and a second inner wallsurface 142 on the second side wall 112 that also faces the packageelements 104 as well as the first side wall 110. According to someembodiments, the support tray 102 is configured to support the packageelements 104 in an upright row upon the support tray 102 without needingslots or other apertures in the first inner wall surface 140 or thesecond inner wall surface 142 for holding the sides of the packagingelements 104. Thus, with each package element 104 having two sidesurfaces 136, 138, in some embodiments the side surfaces simply abut orare positioned adjacent to the first inner wall surface 140 and thesecond inner wall surface 142, respectively. In these cases the firstside surface 136 of the package element does not extend through thefirst inner wall surface 140 into the first side wall 110 and the secondside surface 138 does not extend through the second inner wall surface142 into the second side wall 112 in the same manner that a blister packmay be supported by slots in the sides of a blister pack tray.

Turning to FIG. 3, in some embodiments the display package system 100includes one or more support tabs 150 that are configured to support thepackage elements 104 and help maintain them in an upright orientationwithin the support tray 102. In some cases a support tab 150 isconfigured to engage with the front surface of a package element and/ora back surface of a package element to support the package element in anupright orientation. As shown in FIG. 3, the support tab 150 is engagedwith a portion of the front surface 130 of the front-most packageelement 104. The tab 150 thus provides the package element 104 withsupport by preventing the bottom portion of the package element 104 fromsliding forward.

According to some embodiments, a system may incorporate multiple supporttabs configured to engage multiple package elements to help ensure thatthe entire row of package elements remains in an upright orientation,e.g., without undesirably tipping forward or backward. In some cases thesupport tabs can be located along at least one of the first and secondinner wall surfaces. FIG. 3 shows an example of the support tab 150being located along the first inner wall surface 140. Support tabs 150can be provided as part of the support tray 102 in a number of manners.As one example, in some cases support tabs may be positioned along thefirst inner wall surface 140, the second inner wall surface 142, or bothinner wall surfaces. In addition, a support tab 150 may not correspondwith every package element. For example, a number of support tabs 150can be located along both the first inner wall surface 140 and thesecond inner wall surface 142, but for both surfaces, the tabs 150 mayonly be positioned in front of half or less of the maximum number ofpackage elements 104 that fit within the support tray 102. In some casesa support tab 150 on one inner wall surface may not be matched by asupport tab in a corresponding location on the other inner wall surface.As one example, in some cases the support tabs 150 may be spaced alongthe first inner wall surface 140 and the second inner wall surface 142in an alternating configuration.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6 are schematic illustrations of portions of apackaging system 500 that illustrate various support tab placementsaccording to some embodiments. FIG. 5A is a schematic, side view of apackaging system 500, while FIG. 5B is a schematic, partial side view ofa portion of the support tray 502 shown in FIG. 5A. In particular, FIG.5B depicts a cut-away view of the support tray 502 rotated 180 degrees,showing the first side wall inner surface 540, with the location of thesupport tabs 550 illustrated in FIG. 5A. FIG. 6 is a schematic, partialtop view of a packaging system 600 according to an embodiment. It shouldbe appreciated that FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6 are not drawn to scale and oneor more features may be enlarged for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 5A is a schematic side view of the packaging system 500, from aperspective similar to the side view of the system 100 in FIG. 2. Theside view in FIG. 5A illustrates a first side wall 510 of a support tray502 and also depicts from the side several package elements 504positioned within the support tray 502 (with the portions within thesupport tray shown in dotted line). Shown between certain packageelements 504 is a side representation (e.g., on edge view) of threesupport tabs 550, illustrating their position in front of every otherpackage element 504. The support tabs 550 are configured to helpmaintain the upward and generally vertical orientation of the packageelements 504 within the support tray 502. As is shown, in this case,each of the support tabs 550 engages with the packaging element 504directly in front of it and the packaging element 504 directly behindit. Thus, the support tabs 550 are configured to engage a portion of thefront surface and a portion of the back surface of the package elements,thereby supporting the package elements 504 in a generally uprightorientation with respect to the support tray 502.

FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment in which support tabs 550 are locatedin front of just half of the package elements 504 in an alternatingconfiguration. Turning to FIG. 6, in some cases support tabs 650 may bealternately located between the first inner wall surface 640 and thesecond inner wall surface 642. FIG. 6 illustrates a top-down schematicview of a support tray 602 with four tabs 650 and the location of thebottom surfaces of four package elements 604 outlined in dashed lines.As shown, the support tabs 650 are spaced along the first inner wallsurface 640 and the second inner wall surface 642 in an alternatingconfiguration.

Of course, many configurations and positions of support tabs arecontemplated and it should be appreciated that the invention is notnecessarily limited to any of the examples described herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that support tabs could be provided forevery package element on each of the inner wall surfaces, thus providingpairs of support tabs for each package element.

In addition, when one or more support tabs are provided in someembodiments, the support tabs may be configured in a variety of manners.As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5B, in some cases one or more support tabs canbe formed from a partial cut-out portion of one of the first and thesecond side walls. In the illustrated examples, a semi-circular cutout160, 560 is depicted, though other shapes and sizes may be chosen. Aftercreating the cut line 562 in the inner wall surface, the partial cut-outportion is folded out from the respective side wall along a fold line164, 564, leaving a corresponding aperture in the side wall innersurface. Although a hole is left in the side wall inner surface, thepackage elements engage with the support tab surfaces rather than beinginserted into the apertures in the style of a blister pack and tray withslots. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other mountingoptions for support tabs can also be used, including attaching separatesupport tabs to the inner wall surfaces with a fastener such as, forexample, an adhesive.

As discussed above, in some cases package elements and a support traycan be configured to allow the package elements to recline from thevertical. For example, in some cases a bottom surface of a packageelement may be angled with respect to other surfaces of the packageelement. FIG. 5A provides a more detailed view of an angularrelationship of this sort according to some embodiments. As shown, eachof the package elements 504 is reclining at a reclining angle 570 withrespect to a plane 572 (represented by a dashed line) perpendicular tothe support tray 502 support surface 518. The bottom surface 574 of eachpackage element 504 is configured to engage the support surface 518 ofthe tray 502 with the package element reclining such that a centerline576 extending through the package element 504 forms the reclining angle570 with respect to the perpendicular plane 572. In some embodiments,the reclining angle 570 is at least about five degrees, while in someembodiments the reclining angle 570 is between about five degrees andabout ten degrees. In some embodiments the reclining angle 570 is aboutseven degrees.

In addition, in the depicted embodiment the bottom surface 574 of eachpackage element 504 forms an acute angle 580 with the front surface 530of the package element 504 and an obtuse angle 582 with the back surface532 of the package element. Thus, in this case the front surface 530 andthe back surface 532 of the package element are also reclining away fromthe perpendicular plane 572 at the reclining angle 570, though this maynot be the case in all embodiments (e.g., due to irregularly shaped ornon-square package surfaces). Further, in some cases the support tabs550 may also be oriented at the reclining angle to provide a morecomplete engagement with the package elements 504 in the recliningstate, which can be useful in cases where the surfaces of the packageelement 504 that normally engage with the support tabs 550 are alsoreclining. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the case where thesupport tabs 550 are partially cut out of the side walls and folded out,the fold line 564 may be oriented at the reclining angle with respect tothe perpendicular plane.

According to some embodiments, in some cases some or all of thecomponents of a packaging system may be formed from a limited number ofmaterials, or in some cases from a single material. For example, in someembodiments substantially all of the structurally components of thepackaging/display system are formed from a single material such ascardboard, plastic, or another suitable material. Exceptions may be madefor small components or non-structural components, such as fasteners(e.g., glues, tapes, staples, adhesives, ties, etc.). As depicted in theembodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4, the support tray 102 and substantiallyall of the package elements 104 are made from cardboard. Utilizing asingle material or substantially a single material can make themanufacturing process simpler and more cost effective. In addition,using a single material, such as cardboard, may increase the likelihoodthat a consumer will recycle the package element post-sale.

Turning to FIG. 7, in some embodiments a packaging system 700 caninclude multiple package elements 704 and a support tray 702 aspreviously discussed, and may further include a removable cover 715configured to fit about the package elements 704 and the support tray702. The removable cover 715 can be made from the same material or adifferent material as the other parts of the packaging system 700. Thecover can be useful for protecting the contents of the support tray andpackage elements, and readying them for shipping. For example, in somecases the cover 715 includes an open box that slips over the outside ofthe package elements 704 and the support tray 702. The cover can then besecured about the support tray and package elements using a fastener toform an integrated packaging assembly for transporting the packageelements with the support tray. Upon arriving at its intendeddestination, a store clerk can simply remove the cover 715 and positionthe support tray 702 and package elements 704 in a desirable locationwith ease.

According to some embodiments, methods for packing and/or displayingproducts are also provided. In some cases a method for packing anddisplaying products includes packing products using one type of packageelements described herein and then positioning multiple package elementswithin a single support tray, optionally placing a cover over thepackage elements and support tray for transport or removing the coverfor store display.

In some embodiments, a method for packing and displaying productsincludes providing a plurality of package elements with each packageelement holding at least one product. The method also includes providinga support tray having a first side wall, a second side wall, and asupport surface extending between and joining the first and the secondside walls, the first side wall comprising a first inner wall surfaceand the second side wall comprising a second inner wall surface. Themethod further provides for arranging the plurality of package elementsadjacently in a row upon the support surface of the support tray betweenthe first side wall and the second side wall and retaining the packageelements in the row in the support tray upon the support surface andbetween the first side wall and the second side wall without extendingthe package elements through the first inner wall surface into the firstside wall and without extending the package elements through the secondinner wall surface into the second side wall.

In some embodiments a display/packing method also includes separatingportions of at least one of the first side wall and the second side wallof a support tray and then folding the portions along respective foldlines and inward away from the respective inner side wall to formsupport tabs located along at least one of the first inner wall surfaceand the second inner wall surface. The method may also provide recliningthe plurality of package elements at a reclining angle from a planeperpendicular to the support tray support surface. In some cases themethod includes removing a cover from about the plurality of packageelements and the support tray to display the plurality of packageelements with the support tray in a retail setting, while in some casesthe method includes fitting a removable cover about the plurality ofpackage elements and the support tray to transport the plurality ofpackage elements with the support tray.

Thus, embodiments of the invention are disclosed. Although the presentinvention has been described in considerable detail with reference tocertain disclosed embodiments, the disclosed embodiments are presentedfor purposes of illustration and not limitation and other embodiments ofthe invention are possible. One skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious changes, adaptations, and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for packaging and displaying multipleproducts, comprising: a plurality of package elements, each packageelement configured to hold at least one product; and a support trayconfigured to support the plurality of package elements arrangedadjacently in a row upon the support tray; wherein the support traycomprises a first side wall, a second side wall, and a support surfaceextending between and joined to the first and the second side walls;wherein the first side wall comprises a first inner wall surface facingthe plurality of package elements and a first outer wall surface and thesecond side wall comprises a second inner wall surface facing theplurality of package elements and a second outer wall surface; andwherein the support tray is configured to support the plurality ofpackage elements in the row upon the support tray without the packageelements extending through the first inner wall surface into the firstside wall and without the package elements extending through the secondinner wall surface into the second side wall.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein each of the plurality of package elements comprises a frontsurface and a back surface and wherein the support tray furthercomprises a plurality of support tabs configured to engage the frontsurface and/or the back surface of one or more of the plurality ofpackage elements, thereby supporting the one or more of the plurality ofpackage elements in a generally upright orientation with respect to thesupport tray.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of supporttabs are located along at least one of the first inner wall surface andthe second inner wall surface.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein supporttabs located along the first inner wall surface are positioned in frontof half or less of the plurality of package elements and support tabslocated along the second inner wall surface are positioned in front ofhalf or less of the plurality of package elements.
 5. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the plurality of support tabs are spaced along thefirst inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface in analternating configuration.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein each of theplurality of support tabs comprises a partial cut-out portion of one ofthe first and the second side walls, the partial cut-out portion beingfolded out from the respective side wall along a fold line.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of package elementscomprises a front surface, a back surface, and a bottom surface, thebottom surface configured to engage the support tray with the packageelement reclining such that a centerline extending through the packageelement forms a reclining angle with respect to a plane perpendicular tothe support tray support surface.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein thereclining angle is at least about five degrees.
 9. The system of claim7, wherein the support tray further comprises a plurality of supporttabs configured to engage the front surface and/or the back surface ofone or more of the plurality of package elements, thereby supporting theone or more of the plurality of package elements in a generally uprightorientation with the centerline of each package element forming thereclining angle.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofpackage elements and the support tray are substantially formed from asingle material.
 11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a coverconfigured to fit about the plurality of package elements and thesupport tray to form an integrated packaging assembly for transportingthe plurality of package elements with the support tray.
 12. A packagingsystem for transporting and displaying products, comprising: a pluralityof package elements, each package element configured to substantiallyenclose at least one product and comprising a height, a width, athickness less than half the height and less than half the width, afront surface, and a back surface; a support tray comprising a firstside wall comprising a first inner wall surface, a second side wallcomprising a second inner wall surface, a support surface extendingbetween and joining the first and the second side walls, and a pluralityof support tabs located along at least one of the first inner wallsurface and the second inner wall surface, the plurality of support tabsconfigured to engage the front surface and/or the back surface of one ormore of the plurality of package elements, thereby supporting theplurality of package elements in a row configuration with the pluralityof package elements arranged adjacently front-to-back along the supporttray and the height of each package element extending upward from thesupport tray; and a removable cover configured to fit about theplurality of package elements and the support tray for transporting theplurality of package elements with the support tray.
 13. The packagingsystem of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of package elementsfurther comprises a bottom surface configured to engage the support traywith the package element reclining such that a centerline extendingthrough the package element forms a reclining angle with respect to aplane perpendicular to the support tray support surface.
 14. Thepackaging system of claim 13, wherein the reclining angle is betweenabout five degrees and about ten degrees.
 15. The packaging system ofclaim 12, wherein the plurality of support tabs are spaced along thefirst inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface in analternating configuration.
 16. A method for packing and displayingproducts, comprising: providing a plurality of package elements, eachpackage element holding at least one product; providing a support traycomprising a first side wall, a second side wall, and a support surfaceextending between and joining the first and the second side walls, thefirst side wall comprising a first inner wall surface and the secondside wall comprising a second inner wall surface; arranging theplurality of package elements adjacently in a row upon the supportsurface of the support tray between the first side wall and the secondside wall; and retaining the plurality of package elements in the row inthe support tray upon the support surface and between the first sidewall and the second side wall without extending the package elementsthrough the first inner wall surface into the first side wall andwithout extending the package elements through the second inner wallsurface into the second side wall.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising separating portions of at least one of the first side walland the second side wall and folding the separated portions alongrespective fold lines and inward away from the respective inner sidewall to form support tabs located along at least one of the first innerwall surface and the second inner wall surface.
 18. The method of claim17, further comprising reclining the plurality of package elements at areclining angle from a plane perpendicular to the support tray supportsurface.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising removing a coverfrom about the plurality of package elements and the support tray todisplay the plurality of package elements with the support tray in aretail setting.
 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising fitting aremovable cover about the plurality of package elements and the supporttray to transport the plurality of package elements with the supporttray.